Clinton Hits Back at Critics on Libya

GOP Assails Secretary of State Over Handling of Attack; 'Benghazi Did Not Happen in a Vacuum,' She Says

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got into a heated exchange with Senator Ron Johnson (Rep., Wis) over whether or not the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi was a 'protest' or 'terrorist attack.' Photo: Getty Images.

By

Siobhan Gorman And

Jay Solomon

Updated Jan. 23, 2013 8:50 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended the Obama administration's handling of the September terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya—as well as her overall legacy—in a long-awaited congressional appearance Wednesday.

In congressional testimony, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton linked the 2012 assaults on U.S. posts in Libya to the battle against violent extremism in North Africa. Jerry Seib reports on The News Hub. Photo: AP.

Mrs. Clinton was by turns emotional and fiery as she faced Republican lawmakers who have pressed her for months to testify about charges that she and the State Department failed to properly defend U.S. posts in Libya despite extensive warnings about terrorist threats. Her appearances Wednesday before Senate and House committees also served as a final opportunity for Republicans and political critics to directly challenge her record at the State Department before she steps down as secretary.

She nearly wept while recounting her meeting with relatives of the four Americans who were slain in Benghazi, including the U.S. ambassador, Christopher Stevens. And she pounded on a table as she dismissed detailed queries from a Republican senator about what was known about the attack and the assailants in the hours and days after it occurred as well as why the administration's initial description wasn't more accurate.

In congressional testimony, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addresses the complicated nature aftermath of the Benghazi consulate attack. Photo: AP.

"With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans," Mrs. Clinton snapped at Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.), in response to those questions. "Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they'd go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make?"

"With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans," Mrs. Clinton said, raising her voice and hammering her fist on the table. "Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they'd go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make?" Read more about the exchange with Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.).

More on Clinton's Testimony

Democrats largely praised the former first lady's record as top U.S. diplomat, but many Republicans made clear they weren't satisfied with her responses. They said she failed to adequately explain the State Department's refusal to provide more security, the administration's description of the attack as an outgrowth of political protests that were racking the region at the time in response to an anti-Muslim movie, or changes by Central Intelligence Agency officials to public "talking points."

"The answers, frankly, that you've given this morning are not satisfactory to me," said Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), who has been among the harshest critics of the administration's handling of Benghazi. Mrs. Clinton, who said she initiated an open investigation of the incident and had sent State Department officials to Capitol Hill more than 30 times to testify, concluded that critics may never be satisfied. "We just have a disagreement," she told Mr. McCain.

Mrs. Clinton, 65 years old, delayed her testimony for more than a month amid a string of health problems that kept her sidelined from the State Department, including a blood clot that formed near her brain.

As Mrs. Clinton leaves office, 69% of Americans approve of her job as secretary of state, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released last week. Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.) has been nominated to be her successor, and his Senate confirmation hearing is Thursday. Mrs. Clinton is widely seen as a front-runner to become the Democratic nominee for president if she decides to run in 2016.

Two members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who were among her questioners Wednesday, are viewed as potential GOP presidential contenders in 2016: Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

ENLARGE

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, defended the administration's handling of the September attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Some Republicans on the panel remained dissatisfied with her responses.
Reuters

Mr. Paul said Wednesday that he would have fired Mrs. Clinton if he had been president at the time of the Benghazi attack. He accused the secretary of state of being "culpable" in the worst terrorist act against the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

"Had I been president at the time and I found that you did not read the cables from Benghazi, you did not read the cables from Ambassador Stevens, I would have relieved you of your post," he said, referring to messages from Benghazi about security concerns. "I think it's inexcusable."

Mrs. Clinton repeated that she has taken responsibility for the State Department's handling of the attacks. She said the reason she convened an Accountability Review Board and asked that its findings be made public was to ensure an independent investigation of the Benghazi attacks. The accountability board found the State Department's response to the Benghazi attack showed "systemic failures" in its handling of consular security. It faulted a "lack of proactive senior leadership" for security in Benghazi, and said physical security was "profoundly weak."

Republicans have charged that the Obama administration, following the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden and a series of drone strikes on other top militant leaders, prematurely declared victory against al Qaeda. Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, the top Republican on the senate panel, said the group has grown even more dangerous in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies that the hardest calls she had to make were to the families of U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and Sean Smith, informing the families the men had been killed in Benghazi. Photo: Getty Images

The departing secretary said that while al Qaeda has been weakened in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the group represents a global movement that can't easily be decapitated. Mrs. Clinton said al Qaeda militants and sympathizers are now returning home and joining up with Qaeda affiliates and related militant groups, which is bolstering jihadist syndicates.Mrs. Clinton acknowledged security threats posed by the militant groups operating in North Africa. She said the political rebellions that have spread across the Middle East and Africa over the past two years have created opportunities for democratic change as well as instability.

"We can kill leaders, but until we help establish strong democratic institutions, until we do a better job communicating our values and building relationships, we're going to be faced with this level of instability," she said.

"Benghazi did not happen in a vacuum," Mrs. Clinton said. "The Arab revolutions have scrambled power dynamics and shattered security forces across the region."

She characterized an Islamist insurgency in Mali as "a very serious ongoing threat."

"We are in for a struggle," she said. "But it is a necessary struggle."

Mrs. Clinton said that the investigation into the attacks is continuing and that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is pursuing some promising leads, though she didn't elaborate. A suspect who had been held in Tunisia but was released is being closely watched by the Tunisians, she said.

"I certainly hope that the FBI is able to investigate, identify, and hold responsible those who waged this attack against us," she said. "Based on their work, they feel they are pursuing some very positive leads."

Mrs. Clinton spoke delicately around the CIA presence in Benghazi—referring to "the annex" that was the base for the CIA there. She said the State Department and "other government agencies" need to strengthen their security agreements.

Her comments in both the Senate and House hearings clarified an earlier misunderstanding between the State Department and CIA. At the time of the attack, State Department officials believed they had a formal arrangement with CIA for backup security, while CIA didn't think there was a formal responsibility. Mrs. Clinton described as a more informal understanding.

"We had a very good relationship with the annex in Benghazi. We helped them. They helped us," she told the Senate panel. "It was more on-the- ground working together. It wasn't part of an overall template."

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